Pools of Darkness
Pools of Darkness is a Turn-based, Tactical, Adventure, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by Strategic Simulations. Throughout the game, the player has to create a team of heroes and to defeat Bane’s lieutenants Thorne, an ancient red dragon, to save the kingdom. The primary goal is to reach the antagonist’s land and face off against the last lieutenant, Gothmenes.
All of the enemies are dangerous and present in different dimensions where the player has to reach using portals. Traveling through the portals, the player can encounter different items that will help the characters permanently. The party can drop these items for new ones, and once they lose the previously rendered items, the party cannot use them longer.
Many side quests are there where the player has to complete them along the way. Completing these quests will help the party in gaining experience and items. The game has locked areas, and to enter these places, the player has to unlock them. The game’s core features are Side-Quests, Portals, Party-based, Locked Areas, and Experience Points.
#1 The Bard’s Tale (2004 video game)
The Bard’s Tale (2004 video game) is a Strategy, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by inXile Entertainment for multiple platforms. During the game, the player plays as Bard, the main protagonist, who gets engaged in battles and has to summon a strong character team. The player has to embark on a quest where his focus is to defeat the rivals and loot them.
The game has over 50 enemies of different types, and each one is more horrifying than imagination. The game has offered a vast world with secret dungeons, snowy mountains, towns, wild forests, rivers, castles, towers, tombs, and more to explore for Bard. On the way, the player encounters NPCs that will assist the player by offering sub-quests.
The game has 16 magical characters to summon that will aid the player. Over 150 items of weaponry, armor, artifacts, and loot will be beneficial in the battles against ruthless enemies. The brilliant graphics of the game makes it an interesting and comfortable view. The core features of the game are 150 Items, 16 Characters, and 50 Enemies.
#2 Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls
Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is an Anime, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by XSEED Games for multiple platforms. Throughout the game, the player has to choose a team of six characters and must deploy a strategic victory in the dungeons. The game has multiple classes and races where the player must select characters wisely.
The player can chat with the teammates and take challenges on new quests to improve the strength. The game offers the player to loot for rare equipment in the intense battles. Patience, skills, and careful planning will make the party from a gang of paupers to a mighty force. The player can enlighten the magical torches in the dark. All the monsters are waiting for a new hero where the player experiences a reborn adventure.
The player has to encounter over 100 distinctive monsters that range from the simple to the bizarre ones. The game also features character customization, where the player is free to modify them. The game’s core features are 100 Monsters, Customizing Options, Eight Classes, Five Races, and Team-based Gameplay.
#3 Might and Magic: Clouds of Xeen
Might and Magic: Clouds of Xeen is an RPG, Adventure, and Single-player video game developed by New World Computing. It is the sequel to the Might and Magic III and focuses on the events after the predecessor. Throughout the game, the player serves as an adventurer who has to simulate around the land of Xeen.
The player’s main goal is to form a band of heroes and stop the antagonist before he does worse to the Clouds of Xeen. The game has many accessible areas where the player can unlock advanced areas after progressing through the story. The game has multiple endings where the player can experience all the endings by playing again-and-again. The game offers a notes section that keeps track of important information such as quests, clues, and explored locations.
The game has a difficulty setting the player can test his skills in different complexity modes such as Adventurer or Warrior. Every difficulty has varied challenging enemies in combat. There is a separate inventory for quest items, which lets the player keep information about sell items.
#4 Might and Magic: Book I
Might and Magic: Book I is an Adventure, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by New World Computing. Throughout the game, the player controls a party of six characters where the goal is to explore the dungeons and fight enemies found on the playfield. Six classes, including knight, robber, sorcerer, cleric, paladin, and archer, are there with different strengths and weaknesses.
Each character has six main characteristics, such as might, endurance, accuracy, personality, intelligence, and luck. The player has to upgrade each character’s attributes for effective functioning. There are five races to choose from, including humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and half-orcs. The player controls the character from the first-person perspective through the world.
The player starts in a weak state with only clubs and having no money. The player has no limits to explore and will find a few hints to advance the plot. The game has turn-based battles against dangerous enemies where every experience is unique. The game’s core features of the game are Enemies, Five Races, Five Attributes, Turn-based Battles, and Combat Scenarios.
#5 Dungeons of Daggorath
Dungeons of Daggorath is an Adventure, RPG, Dungeon, and Single-player video game developed by Tandy Corporation. Throughout the game, the player controls a character where he has to move around the dungeon along with six members. While inspecting the world, the player views the dungeon from a first-person perspective.
The player has to issue commands such as shield, pick, etc., to the characters for particular actions. The game has an arsenal of weapons where the player can get all the tools through progression. A unique feature is a heartbeat, which rises as the player moves, performs actions, or receives damage from the dangerous enemies.
A higher heartbeat will let the player attack vulnerably. The game’s difficulty gets increased as the player advances through the story. Many levels are there where bosses will offer complicated challenges. Get into the adventure, complete the levels, face numerous enemies, maintain the heartbeat, and lead the party well. Dungeons of Daggorath has core features such as Heartbeat, Unexpected Challenges, Commands, Several Levels, and Dungeon Exploration.
#6 Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is an Adventure, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by Sir-Tech. Identical to other Wizardry games, the player creates a party of six characters where every character has a unique role. The game lets the player choose characters from five races such as Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Hobbits.
Every race has a varied playstyle, and the player experiences five playstyles. Four basic classes with unique attributes let the player be stronger such as Fighter, Priest, Mage, and Thief. Some elite classes also exist like Bishop, Samurai, Lord, and Ninja. The game has ten levels, where every level is more challenging than the last one.
Ninja elite class fighters have thief abilities, Lord class fights with spells, Samurai uses mage spells to lay down enemies, and Bishop is the combo of priest and mage spells. The task at every level is to reach the portal that unlocks the next level without losing health. The core features are Ten Levels, Challenging Gameplay, Four Classes, Three Alignments, and Five Races.
#7 Akalabeth: World of Doom
Akalabeth: World of Doom is an Adventure, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by Richard Garriott. It is the first game that comes up with pen-and-paper gameplay where the player has to solve the quests received from Lord British. The majority of gameplay takes place in a dungeon but also exists a world map and text descriptions along with the rest of the adventure.
The player can visit the adventure shop to purchase food, weapons, shields, and a magic amulet. The players have statistics that he can track in the menu options. The overhead view of the world lets the player have a perfect view. Inside the dungeons, the player can switch to a first-person perspective. The player has to simply fight, explore, and find a treasure to complete a quest.
Each quest requires the player to destroy stronger monsters, which get stronger as the player advances. Accept the challenges, defeat the monsters, fulfill the quests, and experience rare gameplay. The core features of the game are Multiple Quests, Overhead View, FPS, and Treasures.
#8 Dragon Wars
Dragon Wars is an Adventure, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by Interplay Productions. Throughout the game, the player commands a party of four in the city of Purgatory, equipped with bad guys. The player can select the default characters or create the players as per desire. The game lets the player import characters from The Bard’s Tale Trilogy into the game.
The game has seven classes where the player has limitless combinations to create the strongest characters. The player can add the defeated creatures to the party and use their characteristics as an edge in battles. During the creation of characters, the player must adjust the starting statistics for every character. While playing, the player can review the character’s profile by simply hitting the menu option.
Every character starts the adventure with ten points, but as the player makes progress, he can gain more points. After creating the party, the player cannot change the characters, so he must select the party wisely. The core features are Commanding Skills, Creation of Characters, Profiles, and Seven Classes.
#9 Death Bringer
Death Bringer is an Adventure, Hack-n-Slash, and Single-player video game developed by Oxford Digital Enterprises. Throughout the time, the player assumes the role of a protagonist named Kam, who has a sword to defeat the group of evil wizards. The wizards have enslaved the world, and everything is in the player’s hand.
The game has offered nonlinear maps where the player starts off in the middle of every provided level. At the end of every level, the player faces a brutal boss that will not let the player advance easily. Defeating all the opponents allows the player to progress to the next level. Thirty levels with over 150 enemies will keep the player’s skills in testing.
The game has a time limit for each level, and the player must constantly kill monsters to obtain their souls. The game has a meter, and the player can refill a meter that gradually decreases over time. The game has core features such as 30 Levels, Power Meter, Multiple Enemies, Evil Wizards, and A Magical Sword.
#10 Legend of Faerghail
Legend of Faerghail is an Adventure, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by Electronic Designs. Throughout the game, the player serves as an unnamed protagonist who has to explore towns, wilderness, and complex dungeons. While inspecting the world, the player views the dungeon from a first-person perspective.
The town has suffered through bad times, and without provocation, the dark forces have attacked innocent people and conquer the peaceful city of Thym. The player, as the last hope, has to rescue the city and reclaim it. The player has to combat enemies in a turn-based fashion where the strong party can lead the player towards victory. As the player makes progress, the character gains XPs that make him the strongest.
On the way, the player encounters NPCs that will help the commander in intensive battles. Everything depends on the player’s skills and attributes to upgrade the abilities to extreme power. The game has corer features such as Multiple Classes, NPC Interaction, Upgrades, Intense Battles, FPS, Experience Battles, and Combat Scenarios.
#11 Dai Meiro: Meikyuu no Tatsujin
Dai Meiro: Meikyuu no Tatsujin is an Adventure, Dungeon Crawler, Exploration, and Single-player video game developed by Epoch. Throughout the game, the player controls an archaeologist who has assigned a task to find nine pieces of treasure and reach the exit. The player has to complete the assignment before running out of hearts.
The game has no enemies, but the player loses some POW for every taken step. The challenge is to simulate the dungeon maze in an efficient way to minimize the difficulties. Throughout each dungeon, the player finds many items that will aid him in his task. The player can refill the lost POW by grabbing all the hearts scattered through the playfield.
Dai Meiro: Meikyuu no Tatsujin has offered a compass that directs the player in the right direction. The player can find glasses that increase the range of the map. Bombs can break the walls and offers the player to enter the unlocked place. The core features of the game are Bombs, Compass, Glasses, Hearts, and 3D Exploration.
#12 Secret of the Silver Blades
Secret of the Silver Blades is a Turn-based, Adventure, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by Strategic Simulations. Throughout the game, the player has to follow the gameplay identical to Pool of Radiance, where the mission is to form a party of characters and get engaged in intensive battles. The party attempts to save a town under the control of demons and reveals the mysteries of the Silver Blades.
The player can have six characters in the party where the first-person perspective lets the commander view everything clearly. All the random battles require the player to issue commands in a turn-based fashion. The party members can freely navigate the battlefield but must follow the commands of the leader.
There is no world map traveling; rather, all the exploration takes place in the 3D world. Get into the adventure, use commands to control the party, explore every place freely, and unravel the silver blades’ secrets. The game has core features such as Exploration, 3D Environments, Many Secrets, and Party-based Gameplay.
#13 Murkon’s Refuge
Murkon’s Refuge is a Turn-based, Adventure, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by Rink works. Unlike other Wizardry games, the player takes control over a party of characters and lead them through the dark dungeons. The player has to kill monsters and loot them for new equipment to be strongest.
After battling, the player has to return to town, gain level-ups, and buy new equipment at the store. In the beginning, there are some character classes available, but as the characters make progress, they gain access to all the classes. The player has to grow in abilities and make the party stronger to face deadly monsters. The player can trade with other players online for the exchange of resources.
The player can pause the game at any time and resume it where he has left. While inspecting the dungeons, the player views the environment from a first-person perspective. It is the best Wizardry game with a first-person perspective, resuming option, new equipment, level-ups, powers, loots, multiple character classes, and various abilities.
#14 The Sword of Hope II
The Sword of Hope II is an Adventure, RPG, and Single-player video game developed by KEMCO. It is the sequel to The Sword of Hope, and the player follows the same storyline as its predecessors. Throughout the adventure, the player controls a party of three characters and commands it towards rescuing the town’s glory.
King Winder had closed the evil Zakdos within a casket with an end of the dark war. The defeated wizard claimed that his descendants would build a temple around Zakdos prison. The player has to help the inhabiting characters and must stop Zakdos. The player struggles to retrieve the Sword of Hope before the dragon awakens.
If the dragons get activated, it will be worse than imagination. While inspecting the world, the player views the environment from a first-person perspective. The player has to choose the commands such as open, hit, look, attack, defend, etc., from a menu at the bottom. The game has core features such as Different Commands, FPS, Monsters, Intense Battles, and NPC Interaction.
#15 The Bard’s Tale
The Bard’s Tale, developed by inXile Entertainment, is an Adventure, Strategy, RPG, and Single-player video game. Throughout the game, the player takes on the role of Bard, the main protagonist, who has to engage in battles and must summon a strong team. Over 50 enemies of different types are waiting with different powers to lay down the character.
The player has to embark on a quest where his focus is to defeat the rivals and loot them. The game has a big world with dungeons, mountains, towns, forests, rivers, castles, towers, and more to explore for the player. The player can interact with NPCs that will assist the player by offering sub-quests On the way.
The game has 16 characters where every character has rare skills. Over 150 weaponry, armor, and artifacts will be beneficial in the battles against ruthless enemies. The brilliant graphics of the game ensures a comfortable view of the playfield. The Bard’s Tale has core features that include 150 Beneficial Items, Brilliant Graphics, Quests, Many Characters, and 50 Enemies.